Aijukan
'Cultural background: '''Yunjin, Aijuro '''Language: '''Houshigo, Yungo, Aijuza '''Religious influences: 'Ancestral Worship (majority of the population), Path of the Spirits (combined with Ancestor Worship), Disciples of the Ice Crone (recent, amongst Aijuro tribes and the Bear leadership) '''Population: '''Mostly in cities along the southern border and near the ocean, steppes are almost desolate but for a few wandering tribes and herders '''Original settlement: '''First permanent settlements date from just before the integration of the Yunjin nation into the Empire, Aijuro tribes have resided in the area from far before that. '''Major exports: '''Fur, leather, potato, whale sub-products, seal sub-products '''Major imports: '''Construction materials (stone, lumber), metals, grain History and Imperial expansion Yunjin invasions of Aijuro territories, mostly for the prestige of having a large nation, are what led to the early colonization of the region. Aijuro tribes at the time were completely independent from one another and could not really pose a threat to the precise military strength of the early Yunjin. The lack of good farmland and restricted hunting grounds was an issue to the development of the region, however, and only the coast was truly settled, with a few military ports mixed with fishing harbors. As the war against the Empire started, Aijukan became a stronghold of the resistance due to the harsh weather condition, but as the Imperial forces allied themselves with the Aijuro, things went bad quickly and led to the surrender of the Yunjin armies. Development of the region was accelerated greatly with the introduction of the potato to the local farms by the Onmyou, but population never really experienced a massive growth. Aijukan was used as a mean of political exile for a lot of bureaucrats, magistrates and samurai that lost the favor of the court over the years. Conflicts in the region were mostly limited to some incursions by western raiders, which were limited as the cold usually stopped their advance during the winter, fights with pirates from the Crystal Isles and some minor skirmishes with the eastern nation of Kin Yong Pu. Culture and population It is common for parents to threaten their kids to send them to Aijukan if they are being bad. Compared to most of the Empire, even the fairly cold lands of the Yunjin people, Aijukan is not somewhere anyone would expect large settlements to be. General population is usually concentrated around towns and cities near the border, where peasants can still grow some grain and a lot of potatoes during the short summer of the region, all the while raising sheep and goats, the concepts taken from Nittan and Yamabunjin migrants. Cities close to the ocean deal in hunting whales and seals and recently have started fishing for crabs, which grow quite big in the region. The land itself is rocky and dry, covered in small hills and bigger plateaus, and as you cross the psychological border between Yunjin lands and Aijuro lands, things become difficult, with longer herb being replaced by lichen and other simple plants. There are rumors that the land could be filled with gold, diamonds and other precious metals are common, and with recent advances in mining prospection in the region, maybe even true, but very few people really want to live in Aijukan to exploit such resources. The Aijuro people are what make the region more interesting. If you looked at the coastal and border cities, one could not tell any real difference between Aijukan and Yunjin, but as you move into the steppe and the secluded valleys of the northern region, things become very different. There are no real Aijuro cities or towns, the only real permanent settlements inhabited by the Wanderers are trading posts setup by the empire around the steppes, with the tribes following their musk ox or reindeer herds in their eternal migration, carrying their yurts on their pack animals to setup camp whenever necessary. Horses are not as popular as riding deer and sled drawn by dogs or reindeer in the region. While many (especially tarigani) consider the lifestyle of the Aijuro fairly primitive and barbaric, they are well respected by most, especially the imperial elite, that still views them as key allies in the north. The fact one of the Aijuro people leader actually was one of the Sons of Heaven during the war against the Yunjin might be another reason why they are viewed positively. Aijuro’s worship their own pantheon (which is approved by the Bureaucracy) with Mother Winter being the central figure, but many of them also follow the Mysteries doctrine since its introduction, which makes surviving in harsh weather easier. Aijuro do have strange customs compared to southern folks, like lending their wives to friends when they meet them or not giving names at all to their children before they reach 5 years old, but in most cases, they are seen as oddities rather than with outright hatred. The various tribes’ economy is based on fur, leather and meat trade, along with renting out the service of their hunters to the imperial legion and regional armies as scouts and skirmishers. Military presence Aijukan militaries are usually equipped a bit differently than southern armies. City armies are usually formed along the lines of a typical Yunjin army, with the samurai serving as officers and commanders to large ashigaru forces, but rather than using the pike and shot formation, ashigaru troops are usually armed with shorter spears, kama for close combat and bows. Most samurai carry the jian and the dao like their southern counterpart, but a few of them also favor katana, but usually the fine steel kind. Mounted troops usually carry short bows along with a jian, favoring hit and run tactics rather than strong cavalry charges. Troops are usually lightly armored for a good reason: half the year, they also have to wear thick fur coats, many of them which replace the armor altogether, with sewn metal scales or covered in chain links. Samurai usually wear dual-layer during the winter while ashigaru prefer the mobility advantage of wearing only one of the two armors. Aijuro skirmishers are split between warrior caste and peasant ashigaru groups, but the difference between the two is quite limited, the warriors carrying usually a katana and a jian. Skirmishers are usually lightly armored, usually with an armored leather coat, and carry a case full of javelin along with a hand axe. Riding deer cavalry is extensively rare, the animals not really being made to fight in pitched battles, but it was seen on a few occasions, the riders usually being lightly armored and favoring hit and run tactics. Regional Culture Fatty meats and potato stews are the most common meals in the north, as the meat is traded by the Aijuro and the potatoes are provided by the Yunjin cities. Oranges and other fruits are imported from the south by recommendation of the Onmyou to prevent illness in the population, with fresh fruit juice and fruits being served as an appetizer or as dessert by almost anyone. Rice and grape wine is fairly rare in the region, being reserved to the richer stratas of the population, and as grain is mostly used to make bread and meals, grain alcohol is also fairly rare, which led the locals to begin production of potato alcohol. The potato koku is basically worthless outside of Aijukan, but as some people began exporting this form of alcohol, the value of this vodka at least began to climb and Chivalrous Organizations have begun smuggling (as trade of alcohol between regions is very limited) it to Yunjin and especially to the Mountains. Sports are also very important for the people of Aijukan, but as polo and kemari is hard to play outside in the snow, various new sports emerged. One, a favorite of many children, is to take a sled and simply race down a steep hill, risking life and limbs at time. The competition is not only to reach the bottom the fastest, but to create a sled capable of being controlled, dodging obstacles or making jumps. For those more calm-minded, strapping Aijuro snowshoes and going for a long walk in the snow is always an option. But, strangest of all, is the adaptation of polo to the local climate. Putting skates on and going on a frozen lake or pond, the two teams try to push a ball using a long stick into a net. The later has started being popular in northern Yunjin as well recently. Other cultural traits of the region include Aijuro throat singing, which can sometimes be heard in the night when you do not realize you are close to an Aijuro camp, along with Aijuro stone stacking sculptures, which are used both as landmarks and as a mean to express themselves. Yunjin sculptures in the region are mostly made on seal or whale bone, usually to depict animals or other natural symbols. Leatherworking, mostly to sew coats and pants, also is used as a mean to express oneself, with dyes and textures being added to make beautiful works of art. The Aijuro do not really have any form of poetry, but they have a very strong storytelling tradition which dates back from the beginning of the Empire, while the city folks copy whatever style is most popular in Yunjin at the moment, but the theme of winter, cold and death seem to appear more often in Aijukan poetry then the southern one. Category:Imperial Province Category:Aijukan